Let's say you're hoping to run in one of the road races toward the end of this year or early in 2017. Where should you begin?
WUSF turned to University of Tampa Men's Cross Country coach Dror Vaknin for some tips.
“I always try to tell people, make a realistic goal, something basic, knowing that you can do it, and start off with just running around your neighborhood," Vaknin said. "Don’t try to worry about distance or anything, just say, ‘Okay, I’m gonna run from here around the block and back’, because the hardest thing about running is getting out the door.”
When he's working with someone who's new to running, Vaknin begins with interval training.
“That's typically how I start people," Vaknin said. "And I actually start them off with, you know, maybe 30 seconds---- 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, and build up to a minute on, and then 30 seconds and then the recovery to a minute. And then go two minutes run, one minute walk. So you try to build up to maybe ten minutes run, one minute walk.”
Finally, having a running partner will make it feel less like work.
And if you want to set a goal to participate in an upcoming fun run or race, check here for a list of some from runtampa.com. Additional races include the Sarasota Music Half-Marathon on February 5, and Gasparilla Distance Classic races, later in February 2017.
